They say a picture paints a thousands words...and a group of photography students have used their stunning images to tell a story and make a difference.

Four teenagers from Blackpool Sixth Form College have had their photos shortlisted for the Amnesty International Youth Awards 2015.

Jemma Ainsworth, Scarlet Thompson, Katy Franklin and Cheryl Parker have all made the shortlist for the awards, which celebrate young people’s creativity in human rights writing, photography, campaigning, fund-raising, singing and song-writing.

Photography teacher Sabina Wray said: “I am delighted that Amnesty has recognised the work of these talented students.

“To be shortlisted for such a prestigious award is an honour in itself, but to know that their images could raise awareness for Amnesty International’s Human Rights campaigns is an incredible achievement.

“Supporting The Amnesty International fight for human rights at such a young age is empowering and reflects their determination to succeed, help others and their passion for the arts.”

The image submitted by Cheryl, 17, from Bispham, combines various images to create an impression of someone being silenced.

She said: “I believe that freedom of speech is extremely important and I wanted to capture this in my photograph.”

Katy, 17, from Poulton said: “In my photograph I wanted to show how in society we could fracture someone’s spirit or inner self by taking away their freedom, family, and friends.”

Jemma, 16, from Blackpool, added: “Photography can really show people what is happening and make them think about topics they wouldn’t otherwise think about.”

The girls’ work will now be judged by a panel including photographer Rankin, businessman Sir Richard Branson and broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald – and they will find out in April if they are finalists.

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